The Best Greek Potatoes

The very best Greek potatoes

Potatoes done the Greek way are a mainstay of the average Greek kitchen. If you’ve never tried this incredibly delicious and versatile side dish, you truly are missing out. I’ve made them more times than I can count, and they never disappoint. Literally everyone adores them.

So what’s so great about them? I could rave about Greek potatoes ALL day, but I’ll let you do that yourself after you’ve tried them.

Here’s my summary:

• A perfect combination of super crispy on the outside and creamy and tender on the inside. It’s the slow roasting in liquid at a fairly high temperature that does it. Some of the best Greek dishes are cooked slowly, and these potatoes are no exception!

• So EASY! These incredible potatoes take over an hour to cook, but they are super simple to prep.

• Bursting with flavor. Despite containing just a few ingredients, the balance of flavors is just right. Wait until you smell them as they’re cooking – amazing!

• Go with almost everything. My favorite way to serve Greek roast potatoes is with classic Greek dishes such as moussaka and Greek salad. But there’s hardly anything they DON’T go well with, from grilled meats and fish, and much more (see below for ideas!).

Fun fact: Greek potatoes are called ‘patates lemonates’ (Πατάτες Λεμονάτες) in Greece, which just means lemony potatoes. Sometimes they are simply called ‘patates fournou’ which means oven potatoes!

5* Reviews

This Greek potatoes recipe is pretty legendary. Here’s what people have been saying.

“No joke… these were the greatest potatoes I’ve ever had. Like ever. Made them a few days ago and I just put another batch in the oven for tonight. I’m so looking forward to these again. In fact, I normally take a recipe and add improvements to it after trying a first time. Do not change this recipe! Thank you!” (Stacey)

“So. I just made these and they’re life changing. Did I make a main dish? No, these are good enough to be the star of the show.” (Annie)

“I made these yesterday for the first time and we enjoyed them that much that I’ve already prepared them again for today. Five Stars is not enough for how much we enjoyed them!” (Paul)

Scroll down to the very end to browse more raving reviews!

Ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

You won’t believe how little you’ll need to make the perfect crispy Greek potatoes – just 6 main pantry ingredients. Here’s what you need to know.

Potatoes: You would think that since potatoes are the main ingredient in this dish, it would matter which type you use. Not so. I’ve quite possibly made these with EVERY kind of potato, and they’ve always turned out delicious.

Having said that, for truly perfect roasted Greek potatoes, try a waxy variety with thin, smooth skin such as red-skinned, Yukon Gold, new potatoes or fingerling potatoes. Waxy potatoes are low in starch and have a firm, creamy texture. They hold up well during cooking, and stay beautifully moist and tender on the inside.

Crushed garlic: We don’t hold back on the garlic in this recipe! Combined with the other flavors in the marinade, it’s perfect. And yes, you can substitute with garlic powder if you don’t have any fresh. Try around a teaspoon.

Olive oil: If you’re still wondering what makes these SO delicious, one ‘secret’ is a common one used by the Greeks – olive oil, and lots of it.

So don’t be shocked by how much oil is in this recipe. Remember you won’t be eating the whole pan by yourself. But I won’t judge you if you do. And anyway… healthy fat!

I tend to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, but you can use a lighter olive oil instead if you like.

Chicken broth/stock: This is the next little ‘secret ingredient’ in this delicious recipe. Because the potatoes bake in some liquid, they are beautifully soft, moist and creamy inside. But because you don’t completely cover them with liquid, they still end up quite crispy, too.

If you’d like to make the recipe vegan, you can easily switch out the chicken stock for a vegan alternative, or use vegetable stock instead.

fresh lemon juice: You’ll also add the juice of a lemon to the tasty marinade. Combined with the other ingredients, the potatoes have the perfect amount of citrusy tang.

Dried oregano: You’ll stir a whole tablespoon of this classic Mediterranean herb into the marinade. Oregano has a bold, herbaceous flavor that’s essential to this dish.

Salt and pepper: A generous amount of both. They’re the ‘glue’ holding all the other flavors together. Just trust me on this!

Chopped fresh parsley: For sprinkling over at the end for a little color and freshness, if you like.

How to make Greek potatoes

The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.

The first step is to preheat the oven to 390F/200C. While the oven is heating up, peel and slice the potatoes roughly into wedges. I usually grab around 5 medium sized ones. Then I slice chunks off them before slicing them all into medium sized wedges that are roughly 2cm thick.

I throw the wedges into a large baking dish (or roasting pan), then begin preparing the simple marinade.

Start by juicing the lemon.

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a medium jug – crushed garlic, lemon juice, broth/stock, olive oil, oregano and salt and pepper.

Stir well, then pour the marinade all over the potato wedges in the baking dish. The liquid won’t fully cover them – that’s fine!

Then roast (uncovered) for around 40 minutes. Remove from the oven to toss them around. Then return to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes or until dark golden brown and crispy in parts but tender and creamy inside (taste one to check!).

Note that there will still be some liquid in the pan. That’s fine – it’s how they should be.

If you like, sprinkle a little fresh chopped parsley over the top before serving.

How to serve

Besides these being the tastiest potatoes you’ll ever eat, they are quite possibly the perfect side dish. They go with so much!

• Greek meatballs (such as these air fryer chicken meatballs), Greek salad (horiatiki) and tsatziki sauce – or just Greek yogurt if I’m feeling lazy!
• Supermarket rotisserie chicken (or 1-hour air fried rotisserie chicken!) goes really well. As does ANY grilled or baked meat or fish (try these fancy but simple baked lamb chops or these easy baked chicken thighs!), or any of the delicious Greek main meals listed below.

The best thing is that these potatoes can be casual or fancy! They’re easy to prepare on a busy weeknight, but they also make a fantastic side dish to serve to guests. Go on, get them on your Thanksgiving, Easter or Christmas table!

Here are some more main Greek dishes that I always consider serving these with. And usually with a Greek village salad and tsatziki on the side!

• This easy moussaka doesn’t contain any potato, so it’s a match made in heaven paired with authentic Greek potatoes. Try papoutsakia (stuffed eggplant) instead for a fun twist on moussaka.
• If you’re more in the mood for fish, you won’t regret trying this delicious Greek oven baked fish.
• Rather keep your meal vegetarian? You won’t believe how delicious this Greek baked eggplant with tomato and feta is (just remember to use vegetable broth instead of chicken in the potatoes).

Or see all my easy Greek recipes.

They also go perfectly with non-Greek dishes. Try serving them to guests with this one pan baked chicken with chorizo and tomatoes, or enjoy them midweek with an ‘impossible’ crustless quiche, or with a salad such as this 10-minute easy tuna salad.

Top serving tip: Rule number one – don’t forget to scrape the pan to get the super dark and crispy caramelized bits. Trust me, you can NOT leave those behind!

Variations

The truth is, I don’t often vary this recipe at all. They’re so good just as they are.

However… you might like to try them with a little sprinkle of feta cheese on top. You could vary the seasonings e.g. add paprika, cumin, thyme or rosemary as well as oregano.

You could even make the dish a complete meal by adding chicken pieces, pork chops or hamburgers. Simply check the cooking time and nestle them in with the potatoes at the appropriate time (you may need to use two baking dishes, or halve the amount of potatoes).